Chinook

At a glance:

The Chinook, a southern tribe of Northwest Coast Indians, controlled the Columbia River waterway from The Dalles (the location of a major waterfall) to the Pacific Ocean and lived on the coast in the area of the present states of Washington and Oregon. The Chinook charged a toll to other tribes who used the river for commerce and became principal traders in the area, partly because the falls at The Dalles made portaging necessary. The Chinooks’ trade included slaves, canoes, and dentalia shells.

The first documented contact that the Chinook had with European Americans was...

[The entire page is 304 words long]

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